Mourning Period
by Princess Falling Star
Summary: There's no point of holding a wake for someone who's not dead. Having people cry over a photo. She lives in the world of the dead, but is she dead? Set between chapters 2 & 3 of Metamorphosis. Slight Jinta/Ururu


Disclaimer: Don't own bleach, deal.

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It was a place of sadness. Why would they hold a wake for a girl who wasn't dead, person who wasn't gone? It was a wake for Ururu. Kisuke decided to declare her missing and assumed dead. It didn't matter, she may have well been dead anyway. All he had left was Michiko. They had her picture on display. He was sitting by the display. Kisuke was sitting on the other side and Tessai was greeting the guests. Yoruichi was looking after Michiko. Jinta had almost insisted that Michiko should be there, but a baby and a wake didn't mix well. At least with Michiko, he had a relative.

All the students from Ururu's class were there as well as some of the teachers. The Kurosaki twins were the first to arrive. Yuzu cried like a baby, he couldn't believe he had ever crushed on her. Karin just looked solemn. Three girls sobbed hysterically before her photo and managed a nod of respect for Kisuke and glare to him. They were Ururu's self-proclaimed friends. He heard rumors that they thought he had kidnapped her and killed her. He didn't care though, it would almost be better if she were dead instead of the hands of that madman. He clenched his clothing to prevent himself from crying. He knew he wouldn't cry if not for Ururu's sake alone.

"You were with her weren't you? When you disappeared you were with her?" Jinta looked up to see a boy. He was one of Ururu's classmates, not to mention one of many boys chasing her tail.

"What of it?" He growled. He noticed he was holding blue orchids, Ururu's favorite flower.

"Were you with her when she died?"

"No."

"You should have saved her, if you were with her you-"

"Hey, just because you were in love with her doesn't give you an excuse to insult the closest thing she had to family! I loved her too, don't you get it, I loved her so much! I understood her in a way no one did! I grew up with her, there was very little I didn't know about her!" He was yelling now. The older boy grabbed his shirt.

"Shut up, you're some punk who wasn't there when she needed you." He slapped the hand away.

"How dare you?" He snarled. It was at this moment Yoruichi came in carrying Michiko, who was crying.

"Jinta, she won't sleep and she keeps crying." Yoruichi grumbled irritably. Jinta took the crying baby into his arms.

"Sh baby, Daddy's here." The baby immediately stopped crying. The room was silent even tears stopped to stare at him. Karin was the first to speak.

"Jinta who is that baby."

"Mine and Ururu's daughter, Michiko." He said calmly. The mood dropped. The boy who loved Ururu too clenched his shoulder.

"You had a baby with her?"

"Yes I did. Michiko is my only family, if you have problem with it find a better time to fight with me. We are all mourning here." He told him cradling Michiko.

"Jinta may I see?" Yuzu ventured. Jinta nodded and handed the baby to her. Yuzu squealed.

"She's so cute, she looks just like Ururu! Look at those eyes, so blue! Oh Jinta she's adorable!"

"Thank you." He said quietly. He took Michiko back in his arms. He decided he could no longer stand to be there so he left his daughter in his arms. He sat down in his room. Michiko was in her cradle. Jinta pulled out a box of pictures, all of them of Ururu. He pulled out one of when she was very little, she was wearing a kimono as one would at the time, the picture was black and white. Another from the 60's when Ururu looked eight or nine, back when her hair was incredibly long. Another before their lives got complicated when he was nine. Then one on Ururu's first day of middle school, God she looked cute in her uniform. He later learned that Ururu had never gone to school; Kisuke had taught her all she knew, which explained why she could barely read. There was one with the both of them on his first day of middle school. It was then he found out boys were harassing Ururu. Flipping her skirt, touching her inappropriate places, spying on her while she was changing, stuff like that.

He smiled at the memories, even though he constantly had to protect the poor girl from perverts and stuff. He kind of enjoyed it, being her hero; she always hugged him after he saved her. Something those perverts envied. He was the talk of the school, the tough freshman protecting one of the hottest girls in school. Rumors spread that they were dating, then lovers, and then even engaged. The rumor was he was protecting what he deemed his. He sighed, it was annoying to be three years younger, considered it was even to the point where teachers were eyeing her. It was her own damn fault for walking around with that innocent, big eyed look on her face. She had been wearing her hair in cute braids, and her socks were baggy. God, it was as if she was trying to attract boys. Before he knew it he was drifting off into the world of dreams where Ururu was the main attraction.

In his dream he pictured how she looked pregnant. She was after all pregnant with Michiko at some point. He pictured her in a yellow sundress. She was running her fingers over her protruding belly; she had the glow of motherhood. She was spinning around in a circle laughing up a storm. Blue orchids were delicately held in her hand. He walked over to her. She smiled at him and put his hands to her stomach. He blushed at the feeling of movement. She laughed unsurely. He stood up straight. He leant up onto his toes and pecked her on the lips. She withdrew and blushed innocently.

Then to his horror he saw the skies turn dark. He heard her shriek, he saw that madman grabbing at her. He held her still and covered her mouth. She thrashed and cried. He took a scalpel and slit her throat. She collapsed to her knees and eventually her back. He took the scalpel and slit her stomach. Jinta was too horror struck to move. He lifted a writhing mass covered blood and fluids. Michiko……. Jinta ran towards him but he vanished leaving a bleeding and sobbing Ururu. Jinta hurried over to her and held her. He kept shouting her name but nothing could be heard, eventually she just faded into death.

He woke with a start. The good part of dream had been nice while it lasted. He sat up and saw her, his daughter giggling upon seeing him. He smiled softly and lifted her out of her crib. He tried to push back tears. He cradled Michiko against his chest sighing lightly.

"It's just you and me Miko. Your mom's gone but damn it I'll be the best father ever to make up for it." Michiko reached up clutching at his shirt, giggling.

"I'll be alright Miko. I just miss your Mama, I love you. I'll be okay as long as I have you." She stopped giggling, she looked at him seriously, her blue eyes shining with some kind of understanding.

He swore even in years to come that Ururu herself had found a way to comfort him by looking through her daughter's eyes.

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Princess: Wow, randomness. This is sort of a sequel type thing to chapter two of Metamorphosis. Yeah, Ururu, she was popular with the boys. I really should be doing math homework right now. I just felt inclined to do this one day.


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